Savior
by MelodyofLives
Summary: The story of how Tyki met Allen. Prequel to Hero.
1. Chance Meeting

So here's the first chapter. The reason I've posted it before I've finished Hero is because the poll on my profile won't work and I really want to know how many people will read this.

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><p>Tyki smirked as he walked along an alley wall, his ears perked and his tail arrogantly held high. His black hair was groomed, his fur cleaned and he wore a white shirt and black dress pants. It was a beautiful night and the moon was full and high in the sky for all to see. It was nights like these that made him feel like he could do anything.<p>

Life as a stray was grand, at least for him. He was free to do as he pleased when he pleased. He had no owner to tell him otherwise. He always felt a little disgusted when he saw an owner bossing his pet around.

Tyki was about to jump onto a roof of a house when he spotted something move from behind a bunch of bags of garbage in the alley corner. Curious, Tyki jumped down and sniffed the air cautiously, frowning when he smelt something like burning meat.

With his ears perked up high to listen for any signs of danger, Tyki approached the corner, kicking away the bags of garbage revealing a little humanoid kitten who couldn't have been more than a couple of years old.

The kitten had curiously grey white hair with matching ears and tail. He wasn't wearing much either, just a light shirt and shorts, not proper attire for the early fall weather. The kitten was probably going to freeze to death if he didn't find warmer clothes.

The kitten whimpered and curled into a tighter ball as if to prove Tyki right. The wolf tilted his head when he saw something red against the grey of the kitten's shirt. To Tyki's utter astonishment, it turned out to be the kitten's arm. Somehow the kitten had managed to burn his entire arm and judging from the pink color it had been recent.

Tyki gave the kitten a sympathetic look before he turned away and jumped back onto the wall then onto the roof. It was sad to just leave the kitten but Tyki couldn't help him. There were a dozen strays roaming the streets of the town and he could hardly save every one of them. What made the kitten so special?

Perhaps the kitten would live and teach himself how to survive like Tyki himself had done but with that arm he doubted it.

Suddenly, Tyki's ears tilted back when he heard hissing and yowling. Looked like someone had found the kitten. Many of the strays liked to fight each other, either to get stronger or to let out the frustration of being a stray, and the kitten made the perfect target. Tyki listened, expecting the fight to be over soon, assuming that the kitten would submit or be killed but when the fight continued for several minutes Tyki curiously went back to the alley corner.

Just as he expected a humanoid pet, a rather large one at that, had found the kitten who was only half his size. Much to Tyki's amusement the little one was putting up quite a fight although it was blatantly obvious he was losing but he wasn't going down without giving his opponent several nasty looking scratches and bites.

Tyki looked into the kitten's large grey eyes and was faintly surprised when he didn't see any hint of fear in them, just fierce determination and a hint of resignation. The kitten knew he was going to die but he didn't run. He chose to go down fighting.

Tyki didn't know why he did what he did next. Perhaps it was because the kitten reminded Tyki so much of himself when he first became a stray. Perhaps it was because he admired the kitten's fighting spirit and his will to live. Tyki growled and pounced, landing on the other humanoid pet, realizing much to his chagrin that it was a humanoid bear. They were notoriously big, slow and stupid making a tough opponent.

From the corner of his eye Tyki saw the kitten collapse probably from losing too much blood from his newly acquired wounds. Snarling, Tyki dodged a swipe and lunged, aiming for the bear's throat but he missed by a few inches, instead latching onto the bears shoulder.

'Crap.' Tyki thought just before the bear grabbed him and threw him into the brick wall. Tyki bit back a yelp and dodged a swipe. His ribs hurt but they didn't feel broken, just bruised. He was regretting his decision to interfere but he could hardly back down now, his pride wouldn't allow it.

Growling, Tyki lunged again, this time successfully sinking his teeth into the bear's throat. The bear roared and desperately clawed at Tyki's back but the wolf refused to let go, instead he tightened his hold. Blood rushed into his mouth and the bear fell down, luckily on his back and not on his front where he would've squished Tyki. The wolf let go and spat the foul substance out of his mouth, kicking the stray to make sure it was dead.

He then collapsed on the ground, the wounds on his back from the bear's sharp claws were pretty serious. Nothing fatal but they caused him a lot of pain. After a few minutes of resting, Tyki felt something cold nudge him softly and he opened his eyes, surprised to see that the kitten had dragged himself to him. Scared wide eyes watched him worriedly, mewing his concern.

"I'm fine, shonen," Tyki muttered. "This is nothing."

"Why?" The kitten asked in a beautiful soft voice. "Why did you help me? You could have just left me."

"I felt like it," Tyki replied after a few seconds. He gave the distressed kitten a critical look, taking note of all the kitten's new wounds. "What's your name?"

"Allen, what's yours?"

"Tyki," The wolf replied as he struggled to his feet, the pain in his back having dissipated a little. "Can you stand?"

The kitten, Allen, made a gallant effort to get onto his feet but he was too injured and too weak. He looked up at Tyki with despair, thinking that the wolf would abandon him. Instead, Tyki sighed before he picked up the kitten who meowed in surprised.

"Wait, you're injured!" The kitted cried as he tried to get down but Tyki just tightened his hold.

"So are you. Look, just stay still or you're just going to make it harder on me." Tyki barked and Allen immediately froze, even his tail stilled. The wolf began the tiring journey to his home which was on the outskirts of town. It wasn't very far and Allen was very light but he was still in pain which made the journey difficult.

Finally they reached the edge of town where there was a large field that stretched out to the horizon. Tyki carried Allen to a hole in the ground, which couldn't be easily found if you didn't know where it was, that was the entrance to his den that he had made on his own.

"Okay shonen, you're going to have to get down there by yourself because this hole isn't wide enough for me to carry you through. Be careful it's a bit of a drop." Tyki said as he gently lowered Allen to the ground. The neko, with obvious difficulty, dropped himself into the hole and landed with a thud and a pained yelp. After making sure the kitten was out of the way, Tyki jumped in and landed on his feet.

His den was one of his pride and joys. It had taken him an entire year, perhaps more, of digging to make it as big as it was. Then, after scrounging around town and stealing, he had accumulated a huge pile of blankets, towels and pillows that he used as a bed, several medical equipment like bandages and ointment from the pharmacy, a few cans of non-perishable food in case of emergencies, a bucket of water from a nearby lake and candle and matches which was his only source for light. Just because he was a stray didn't mean he had to live like a savage.

Tyki picked Allen up and laid him on the bed, making sure the kitten was comfortable. He then began the tedious task of cleaning Allen's wounds and dressing them with bandages, making sure to pay special attention to the neko's burnt arm. When he was satisfied with his work, he began to dress his own wounds which proved to be a difficult task since they were on his back and he was forced to bend his arms awkwardly. Finally when that was done, Tyki tiredly laid down on his bed beside Allen.

"So tell me, shonen, how did you burn your arms so badly?" Tyki asked.

"From a fire. Me and my owner, Mana, were staying in this hotel nearby just last night but it caught fire. I thought we were going to die but at the last second, Mana shoved me out the window but it was too small for him to follow. He died." Allen said, tears running down his dirty face which now Tyki realized was dirtied from soot. The wolf hugged the kitten close to him and began licking his soft ears soothingly when Allen began sobbing. He began to bathe Allen very much like a mother would, continuing even after the neko had passed out in exhaustion.

When he was done, which wasn't until at least an hour had passed, what was originally grey was now snow white fur which was an odd color for a humanoid pet. Usually the creators of humanoid pets tried to keep the hair color and eyes as human as possible, the exception being fox humanoids but that was because the fox's DNA was weird.

What Tyki also noticed that struck him odd was a branding mark on Allen's face that had been covered before by dirt and soot. It began as an upside down star above Allen's eyebrow and had a line going down his face, going over his eye and ending just before it reached his chin. Now, usually the marking brands weren't in such a conspicuous place, they were usually placed on a pet's back where it couldn't be seen. Tyki himself had a marking brand in the shape of a butterfly on the lower back of his neck.

The wolf sighed before he sniffed the kitten carefully, memorizing his scent. He was going to take care of this kitten and teach him how to be a stray and survive on the streets although it wasn't going to be easy. Something told him that Allen was a magnet to trouble but there was something that he undoubtedly liked about the kitten and he was curious as to how the kitten would take to the life of a stray.

Allen shivered and Tyki curled himself around the neko, warming the little one up before he closed his eyes and went to sleep, preparing for the long days ahead.

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><p>So review please and let me know if this is worth continuing.<p> 


	2. Survival

Beta'd by the wonderful In a silent night. I can't thank her enough!

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><p>"Come on, shonen, it's not that high." Tyki encouraged, looking down the dark hole and seeing Allen at the bottom giving him an exasperated look. It had been about a week or so since he had found the neko and during that time he had been nursing the kitten back to health, not letting him go out or do anything but rest until all his wounds were healed. It was then that Tyki deemed it to show Allen how to live a life as a stray. What he hadn't accounted for was the entrance to his den being too high for Allen to climb out.<p>

"I'm jumping as high as I can!" Allen meowed.

"Okay, try one more time. Jump as high as you can," Tyki instructed as he positioned himself so his head was lowered into the hole. As Allen jumped up high, Tyki grabbed the scruff of his neck, careful not to pierce the skin with his sharp teeth, and pulled the kitten out. Allen meowed gratefully as soon as Tyki let him go. "We'll get a stool or something later." Tyki said and Allen nodded enthusiastically.

"So have you lived here long?" Allen asked as the two made their way to the bustling town.

"Of course, for as long as I can remember." Tyki boasted. "What about you?"

"I've only lived there for a week with Mana. We were on our way to a circus a couple towns over." Allen replied, his ears drooping as he mentioned his owner.

"How long were you with Mana?" Tyki asked, not wanting to hurt Allen by bringing up bad memories but curiosity got the best of him.

"Two years. I don't remember much of the first year and I don't remember the night he found me either. In fact I have no recollection of my life before Mana found me," Allen explained in a whisper so soft Tyki had to strain his ears to hear. "Whenever I asked he would give me this weird smile and avoid the question."

"That's weird." Tyki commented bluntly and Allen nodded, perking up as they entered the town. He went to walk on the main road but Tyki pulled him into an alley giving him a stern look. "Look, there are three important things you have to remember to avoid, humans, humanoid pets and stray pickups."

"Stray pickups?" Allen questioned with a tilt of his head.

"Yes. Stray pickups are horse drawn cages that humans drive. When they see a stray that doesn't look dangerous they put them in the cage and try to sell them in a city for a low cost to people who can't afford their own. It's also the reason you should avoid humans because they may try to kidnap you because you're so young and cute." Allen blushed at Tyki's comment feeling a little embarrassed at being complimented.

"Okay I understand." Allen said and Tyki patted his head.

"Good, now the next important topic: food. Now there's plenty of ways to get food but two are your best option. One is to steal and the other is to go dumpster diving which I personally dislike but hey, when you're hungry you're willing to do anything for food. The best time to go dumpster diving is at nighttime when the shops and restaurants close because they throw away a lot of food that's still good but won't be the next day."

"I don't want to steal." Allen said giving Tyki an appalled look.

"Then you'll starve." Tyki said simply and Allen sighed.

"How do we steal?" The neko asked unhappily.

"Well, there's hundreds of tactics to use when stealing but it will be much easier and effective if we work together. Come, let's go get some breakfast."

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><p>Allen meowed as pathetically as he could at the entrance of a grocery store while Tyki hid nearby. When he caught the attention the old lady that owned the building he burst into tears, a talent he had learned when working at the circus. The old lady immediately ran to him and kneeled so she was eye level with him.<p>

"Oh my! You poor dear, what's wrong?" The old lady asked.

"I was abandoned by my owner." Allen answered, sniffling, feeling guilty as he saw Tyki run into the store with a bag.

"Oh dear! Oh, I wish I could do something but I don't have enough money to take care of another humanoid pet." The old lady said with distress and Allen gave her a small smile.

"It's alright, I'll be fine. I'm awfully sorry for worrying you." Allen said as he saw Tyki run back out the store, his bag bulging with food.

"Look deary, I can't take you in but please accept some food." The old lady requested as she ran into the store. She returned with a long loaf of bread and gave it to Allen. "Here you go."

"Thank you Ma'am." Allen said as he walked away unhurriedly, turning around the corner where Tyki was doing inventory of all the food he had collected.

"Pretty decent, more that I usually take in one go." Tyki commented and Allen quietly sat down, his ears drooping and his tail limp. "What's wrong? You got breakfast and here, I even snagged you a can of tuna."

"She was such a nice person." Allen said quietly, refusing the can of tuna Tyki offered. "She even gave me a loaf of bread."

"Look shonen, we have to steal in order to survive. Look, if it makes you feel better I don't steal a lot from one place. I don't usually steal a lot, only enough to fill me." Tyki comforted and Allen nodded, feeling a little better as he began to eat his bread. Tyki pulled out a cigarette and lit it before placing it in his mouth.

"Smoking is a bad habit!" Allen exclaimed and Tyki raised an eyebrow.

"Why, yes it is. Your point?" The wolf asked as he took a long drag and blew out the smoke making the neko pout unhappily but Allen chose not to say anything more about the subject.

"What are we going to do now?" Allen asked as he finished the last of his food.

"Now, we go our separate ways for a little while. I have some things that I need to do. Do you think you can manage by yourself?" Allen nodded uncertainly and Tyki patted his head. "Why don't you acquaint yourself with the town while I'm gone? It's a good idea to know your surroundings."

"Okay!" Allen agreed and Tyki chuckled before he began walking off bringing the bag of food with him. The neko wasn't as bad as he had thought he would be, in fact Allen had helped him steal more food than he would be able to alone. Although that whole conscience thing was becoming a bit of an annoyance but time would get rid of it. There was no room for consciences in the world of a stray.

The first thing Tyki did was drop the bag off at his den, making sure to pull out a small toy car that he had stolen from the store first. Whistling, he made his way back into the town, walking in the opposite direction that he had brought Allen. It was the more dangerous part of town and he detested it because it was dirtier and he had to work harder to avoid people but he went there every day nonetheless. He kept to the shadows until he saw a little boy with blonde hair, blue eyes and a face mask over his mouth.

Eeez was a little boy that Tyki had befriended when he was just a pup (before his hatred of humans started) and since then he would bring the little boy a trinket. It was never anything much, sometimes it would be just an ordinary rock that he found but no matter how worthless it was Eeez always thanked him like it was gold. He didn't understand the boy but he felt a bit of kinship with him.

"Hello," Tyki greeted and he saw Eeez's face mask crinkle as he smiled behind it. "Here you go." Tyki threw the car and Eeez caught it, cradling it like it was fragile glass instead of plastic. Nope, Tyki couldn't understand the kid at all but perhaps that's why he liked him.

"Thank you Tyki!" Eeez said as he took off his bag that was really a tied up cloth and opened it. In it was everything Tyki had ever given him, every rock, toy and trinket. Tyki watched as the car was added into the collection as he leaned against a dirty wall, probably smudging dirt on his shirt.

"So, I found this humanoid kitten named Allen and I've decided to keep him. He's a little like you in a way," Tyki said and Eeez listened to his every word. "He's a bit of a runt I think and he's a trouble magnet but I think he'll be make a good stray someday. He certainly knows how to fight like one."

"That sounds cool. Maybe I can meet him."

"Maybe," Tyki replied but he knew that he would never bring Allen over. For one, Allen would attract every bum and stray and second for some reason he felt the urge to keep Eeez separate. Allen in the good side of town and Eeez on the bad side. "Well, let's go treasure hunting." Tyki said.

Treasure hunting was when the two would go dumpster diving for things that were worth something and at the end of the day Eeez would go pawn everything for money that he used to get food. They never did find something that was actually worth a lot but it could get be surprising what humans threw away without thinking. One time they had found an old sofa chair that they had hauled to the pawn shop and they had gotten $100 back.

Today was a pretty bad day though. There wasn't much in the garbage cans or on the streets although Tyki did find a couple of bricks that Allen could use as stepping stones to use to lift himself out of the hole. They were a bitch to carry around but Tyki did it anyways.

At the end of the day, when the sun was beginning to set, Tyki and Eeez parted ways and Tyki went to the other side of town to find Allen, hoping that the kitten had managed to stay out of trouble. After searching for about an hour, Tyki was beginning to feel a little uneasy. Sure he told Allen to explore the town but surely he wouldn't have gone too far right? This wasn't exactly a small city and it would be difficult to find Allen not to mention he was still carrying the damn bricks.

Tyki was about to start panicking when he heard familiar meowing, recognizing the voice as Allen's. Thankful, Tyki ran off, following the meows. He had always been an abnormally fast runner, he had never been beaten in a race before. Soon he found the little kitten in an alley with a scared expression on his face. When Allen noticed his shadow he looked up and gave Tyki a relieved smile.

"I got lost and I didn't think I was going to be able to ever find my way back," Allen said and Tyki shook his head in exasperation. "I probably should have mentioned it sooner but I have a horrible sense of direction."

"Oh, Shonen." Tyki muttered as he rubbed his face. "Come on, I'll bring you home."

Allen let out a grateful meow as he followed Tyki back to where his den was but much to Allen's confusion, Tyki went right past it, only pausing to put the bricks he had been carrying down. Puzzled, Allen followed Tyki who led him to a small lake.

"Tyki, what are we doing here?"

"It's been a week since you've last bathed, probably longer. Now, just because we're strays doesn't mean that we should all be dirty and such." Tyki explained as he stripped off his clothes and went into the water. Allen blinked nervously before he followed Tyki's example, squeaking when he jumped into the ice cold water. He had to wait a few minutes until his body got used to the temperature, during that time he couldn't move because the water was such a shock to his body and by that time Tyki had already finished scrubbing himself with a rough rock he had found on the way there.

The wolf handed the rock over to Allen who scrubbed himself diligently wanting to please Tyki. When his skin was pink and clean (well, as clean as it could get with no soap) they waded back to the shore and put their clothes back on, Allen trembling a little from the cold. He cuddled against Tyki for warmth as they made their way back home. Tyki wasn't as bothered, he had long since gotten used to the cold, but then again he was bigger than Allen.

"Come on Shonen." Tyki said gently coaxing him down the hole. As soon as they were inside, Tyki nudged Allen to the bed and practically swaddled him like a baby in blankets, then curled around him gently. Allen purred, pressing himself securely against Tyki, the warmth and the rhythm of the wolf's breathing lulling him to sleep.

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><p>I hope you liked the chapter!<p>

And for those who haven't already please please check out my other story Secrets of the City it would mean a lot to me.

Anonymous reviews or replies to people who have their P.M's disabled:

isthisparadise: Well this is why I wrote the prequel because as I was writing Hero I began to want Allen to be with Tyki. In Savior there's a lot of fluffy moments between them so we get both in the two stories. Yullen in Hero and Poker Pair in Savior.

Tasha: Thank you for reviewing I appreciate it!


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